Some primates live in trees and some live on the land and in trees. In this episode we meet KINDERZOOâ€™s finest primates like our host Gabby the Gibbon, Deni the Douc Langur, Marty the Mandrill, Colin the Colobus Monkey and Mike the Proboscis Monkey. We also learn how Mike got his large nose in Kinderzoo Tales.

In this episode we go on safari in Africa and meet Polly the Springbok Antelope, Harry the Hippopotamus, Rhiannon the Rhinoceros and we see two of our favourites running around â€“ Debra the Forgetful Zebra and Ryan the Lion. Our KInderzoo Tale this week is about how Gerry the Giraffe got his long neck.

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Information About London Bridge is Falling Down

"London Bridge Is Broken" is one of the earliest versions of the famous nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down". The earliest printed version of the famous song can be found in "Tommy ThumbÂ´s Pretty Song Book" published in 1744.

The direct meaning of the rhyme is not known but may relate to the many problems experienced by Londoners in building and maintaining a bridge across the River Thames.

According to the Britain Express web site this song may be related to an event around the turn of the first century on the Thames river. The Romans first built London bridge, probably out of wood. It had to be rebuilt many times because the River Thames kept sweeping it away.

The first London Bridge was built by the Romans from wood and it was later replaced with new timber several times after the Romans left the island. The bridge was burned down to avoid an invasion by the Danes in 1014AD, rebuilt and destroyed again by a storm in 1091, rebuilt and destroyed again by a fire in 1136. After the 1136 fire, London Bridge was rebuilt with stone and not finished until 1206.

The King of England had the idea to build houses on the bridge, and it was soon occupied by houses, shops and even a chapel built at the centre of the bridge. London Bridge was eventually crowded with buildings of up to seven stories in height. The population of the bridge was large enough that the City appointed the bridge a district with its own alderman (congressman). Several arches of the bridge collapsed at various points, and several houses on the bridge were burnt in 1381 and in 1450. The buildings on London Bridge created a major fire hazard and increased the weight on London Bridge's arches, so it is not surprising that there were several disasters on the bridge. In 1213, a major fire broke out on both ends of the bridge simultaneously, trapping many people in the middle of the bridge resulting in 3,000 deaths. Another major fire broke out in 1633 destroying a third of the bridge.

By 1722, congestion was becoming so serious that the Mayor ordered that all traffic coming into the city must keep along the west side of the bridge: and traffic going out of the city must keep along the east side of the bridge. This is possibly the origin of traffic in Britain driving on the left. Eventually a new granite bridge was built in 1831 however after widening the bridge, in 1904, to keep up with congestion on the bridge, it was discovered that London Bridge was actually sinking so another bridge was built by 1973 and is still in place today. So, as you can see, London Bridge has a long history of falling down and there is no one significant event where it fell down as some may argue. Note the "ing" on the word fall signifies a process and not a completed action. The nursery rhyme is in fact quite accurate according to the history of the London Bridge.

History Old London Bridge. this is a useful website were you will find a wealth of information regarding the history of the London Bridge.

This is not the only song on BusSongs to feature London Bridge. We also have London Bridge is Broken which has a rather similar theme!

"My Fair lady" in the song is a sarcastic reference to the unpopular Queen Eleanor, whose husband, Henry II gave her the bridge tolls in 1269 - which she spent on herself instead of the upkeep of the bridge, which is why if fell into such serious disrepair.

The "Silver and Gold" of the "stolen away" verse may well refer to those tolls. Although we've also heard it said that it is a reference to the merchants and traders who also had premises built on the bridge - including gold and silversmiths.

Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs

Build it up with bricks and stones,
Bricks and stones, bricks and stones,
Build it up with bricks and stones
My fair lady.

Additional Line you can add

Take the key and lock her up
Lock her up lock her up
Take the key and lock her up my fair lady.

A mud and clay bridge is featured in this song

Build it up with mud and clay,
Mud and clay, mud and clay,
build it up with mud and clay my fair lady.
Mud and clay will wash away, wash away,
Wash away, mud and clay will wash away my fair lady.
Build it up with sticks and stone, sticks and stones,sticks and stones,
Build it up with sticks and stones, my fair lady.
Sticks and stones will crumble and break, crumble and break,
Sticks and stones will crumble and break my fair lady.